Jonathan Ansfield, Michael Wines (writer) and Sharon LaFraniere, China's Premier Falls Into a Role: Reformer Fighting for Relevance; Is Wen Jiabao a true maverick, or just playing good cop in a bad-cop system?. New York Times, Aug 8, 2011, page A1 (title in print).
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/08/world/asia/08china.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=china%20wen%20&st=cse
Quote:
"The official state media took Mr Wen’s broadside as a pass to keep digging into Railways Ministry incompetence.
"And it showed that Mr. Wen, who leads the cabinetlike State Council, has trouble controlling a State Council investigation — indeed, not even President Hu controls China’s fractured ruling elite.
"Mr. Wen can be crafty. In April 2010, analysts puzzled over a People’s Daily essay by him — published while President Hu was in Brazil — extolling Hu Yaobang, the popular leader forced to resign in 1987 for his reformist bent and whose death, in 1989, helped propel the Tiananmen Square protests. One anecdote described a Hu Yaobang visit that Mr. Wen arranged with Guizhou Province villagers — secretly, he wrote, because Hu Yaobang did not trust local leaders to let them speak freely. President Hu was the Guizhou party chief during that visit. Outsiders largely missed the article’s implicit jab — but President Hu was mightily displeased, said an editor with high official connections.
My comment:
(a) To give you a complete perspective, here is the title of the report in page A7 ("A Prime Minister Popular With Chinese, but Sidelined by His Party") as the report is divided in two.
(b) HE Weifang 贺 卫方
(c) ZHANG Dejiang 张 德江
(d) backflip (n): "a backward somersault especially in the air"
* somersault (n; Middle French sombresaut leap, ultimately from Latin super over + saltus leap, from salire to jump — more at OVER, SALLY):
"a movement (as in gymnastics) in which a person turns forward or backward in a complete revolution along the ground or in the air bringing the feet over the head"
All definitions are from www.m-w.com.
(e) Cheng LI 李 成
--------------------------------Separately
(1) 流亡诗人北岛回国参加诗歌节. BBC Chinese, Aug 8, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/chinese_news/2011/08/110808_beidao_poet.shtml
(2) J Gordon Crovitz, Beijing's Crash Course in News Censorship; China's inability to control new media emboldens the traditional press. Wall Street Journal, Aug 8, 2011.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903366504576490150533006480.html
("During his [Wen's] press conference [at teh site Wenzhou train crash], a Chinese broadcaster asked a Japanese reporter to lower his camera so others could get their shots. The Japanese reporter quieted the room by saying, 'What's the use of your footage? Are you going to be able to air it?'")
Note:
(a) For Index Expurgatorius, see Index Librorum Prohibitorum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_Librorum_Prohibitorum
("List of Prohibited Books"; a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church; A first version (the Pauline Index) was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559; The final (20th) edition appeared in 1948, and it was formally abolished on 14 June 1966 by Pope Paul VI)
(b) Star Chamber
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Chamber
The sentence quoted in the WSJ article ("dyvers contentious and disorderlye persons professinge the arte or mystere of pryntings or selling of books") is, in modern English, "diverse contentious and disorderly persons professing the art or mystery of printing or selling of books."
(c) Online Blue Army 网络蓝军
(d) dictat (n; German, literally, something dictated):
"1: a harsh settlement unilaterally imposed (as on a defeated nation)
2: DECREE, ORDER"
(e) Now that we talk about Wen's press conference, it is opportune to introduce
Jimmy Chuang, Taiwanese Media Left out of Wen Jiabao Press Conference. Washington Times, July 29, 2011
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?cid=1101&MainCatID=&id=20110729000109
(the "international" press conference on July 28 did not invite Taiwanese media; "In addition, while the state broadcaster CCTV is usually the only TV station allowed live broadcasts of major events, Phoenix TV from Hong Kong was chosen for the project instead.")
Intriguing, in view of the NYT report above.
(3) Michael Sheridan, China Losing Battle to Hide Disasters. The Times of London, Aug 7, 2011
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/China+censors+meet+their+match/5219898/story.html
("The defence ministry issued a curt denial that any accident had occurred but the Chinese public has lost faith in official pronouncements, after attempts to stop 'negative' reporting of a recent rail disaster"
Note: The website of London Times (www.timesonline.co.uk) requires subscription.